"Nature"

Rather than take a walk, I decided for go for my usual run for this assignment, only this time, I left my iPod at home. It’s funny how the one thing I thought kept me going during my run, was actually the one keeping me from an open mind and a freeing experience. I typically run about two miles, this time I was more than willing to run three. As I started my run through Bryan Park, thoughts started sprinting through my mind.  I began to analyze my work ethic, oddly enough. Maybe it was because I felt I had a lot of work to do; regardless, I was able to think about the work I had to do, why it hadn’t been done, and how I would complete it. Since the work I had to complete pertained to my school studies, thoughts started spiraling in direction towards my future. Why am I in school? How long will it be before I can finish and start my long-awaited career as an event planner? Will I be successful? What things can I do to set myself apart from other planners? How can I change my life now to reach my goal faster? It may sound strange, but running outside without my iPod to distract me, allowed me to essentially map out a plan for my life.

While I didn’t focus on nature during my run, conversely, nature actually let me focus on myself. Running outside was MY time, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  I suppose then, that my relationship is somewhat selfish. But being outside brings out the best in me. During the winter, I am often forced indoors to run on the treadmill, which I despise. It is a very closed experience, and I tend to focus more on the task at hand by clock-watching, and am more aware of the side affects like cramps. However, when I step outside, the vast openness before me is presented as an entire world of tread, ready to be run on, and it is entirely freeing. It is something I can experience independently, and it is my moment to run out my worries and anger if I have had a bad day; conversely, if I have had a good day, I can reflect on things that made me happy and pleasant, or all that I got accomplished. I appreciate nature then, for the selfless and freeing joy it bestows to me.